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Goals:

  1. Look at the graduation requirements our students will face
  2. Discuss opportunities students will have a PCA
  3. Discuss grades, GPA, and promotion

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GRADUATION REQUIREMENTS

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NC Graduation Requirements

Core Academic Areas

  • English
    • 4, Eng I – Eng IV
  • Math
    • 4, Math I, II, III, an advanced math
  • Science
    • 3, physical science, Biology, Earth & Environmental
  • Social Studies
    • 4, World, Civics, Economics and Personal Finance, American History

Electives Etc.

  • Health & PE
    • 1 credit
    • certification in CPR
  • Electives
    • 6 credits
      • 2 of CTE, Arts, World Languages
      • 4 strongly recommended from
        • CTE
        • JROTC
        • Arts
        • Any other subject areas

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PCA Graduation Requirements

Academic Area

Class of 2023

Class of 2024 and beyond

English

4

4

Math

4

4

Science

3

3

Social Studies

4

4

Health & PE

1

1

World Languages

2

2

Electives including Logic and Rhetoric

9

10

Total

27

28

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Appropriate Courses

Academic Area

Appropriate Courses

English

(4 Credits)

English I, II, III, IV

(or English I, II and appropriate AP courses)

Math

(4 Credits)

Math I, II, III, plus a 4th Math. It is strongly recommended that a math course be taken every year.

(or Math I, II, III, plus appropriate AP and/or CCC courses, or PCA courses)

Science

(3 Credits)

Earth/Environmental, Biology, plus a physical science, a fourth science is highly recommended. It is strongly recommended that a science course be taken every year.

(or appropriate combination of AP and CCC courses)

Social Studies

(4 Credits)

  • Founding Principles of the United States of America and North Carolina: Civic Literacy
  • Economics and Personal Finance
  • American History
  • World History

(or appropriate combination of AP and CCC courses)

World Languages

(2 Credits)

Latin I and Latin II are required; Latin III Honors is highly recommended

Health / PE

(1 Credit)

Physical Education and Health I

Students must also complete CPR certification

General Electives

(9-10 Credits)

Logic and Rhetoric will be required to fulfill the Classical studies in the mission statement.

As deemed appropriate under NC Graduation Requirements

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Differences?

  • The PCA requirements reflect our commitment to being a college preparatory school.

Although the state requires a designated number of courses and credits for students to graduate, local school districts may require additional courses and credits.

On top of the extra course and credit requirements, some districts and schools may require students to successfully complete a graduation project or other assignment to earn a high school diploma.

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Meeting the Core

  • Students will be required to take a course each year in each of the following:
    • English → 4
    • Math → 4
    • Science → 3
    • Social Studies → 4
  • This puts PCA students ahead of the academic curve when viewed in the simplest terms of number of courses

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CCC/CCP Requirements

CCC requires that students meet eligibility requirements for the Career and College Promise (CCP) Program in order to take their courses.

  1. Students must have EITHER an unweighted GPA of 2.8
  2. OR a qualifying score on a designated placement test.

More information on eligibility can be found on the CCC website at the link below. Administrators will meet with parents as needed to determine final pathway selection. Students who do not meet the eligibility requirements for CCP will be placed in the Traditional Pathway.

https://www.clevelandcc.edu/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/CCP-Testing-Benchmarks.pdf

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Decision-Making

  • Please consider your/your student’s:

    • developmental level/academic maturity

    • time management and organization skills

    • unique academic strengths by subject/discipline

    • tolerance for reading/writing on a college level

  • Dual enrollment courses through CCP in 11th and 12 grade provide transferable college credit for “C” or better

    • carry same GPA weight as AP

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ELECTIVE COURSES

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Electives for the 2023-24 school year

ELECTIVES: Select four elective classes and number them 1 through 4 with 1 being the elective you want most and 4 being the elective class you want least. In 9th grade 6 classes will be core or required classes. Most students will have 2 elective courses based on preferences and class availability. Teacher approval may be required.

World Language:

_____Spanish I

_____French I

Arts:

____ Visual Art I

____ Band I

____ Band II

____ Concert Choir

Advanced Placement Courses:

____ AP Government ____

____ AP Earth and Environmental

Science____

____ AP Biology ____

____ AP Computer Science_____

Other Electives:

_____ Microsoft Word

_____ Web Design Honors

_____ Yearbook ____

_____ Journalism/Communications

_____ Computer Science Honors

_____ Anatomy and Physiology Honors

_____ Curriculum and Instruction_____

_____ American Political Thought Honors

_____ Animal Behavior Honors

_____ Photography in Science Honors

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GRADES AND GPA

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HS Grading Scale

Pinnacle will utilize a 10-point grading scale in all high school courses. Please see the chart on the next slide for information about how a student’s GPA will be calculated. All core academic courses at Pinnacle will carry the Honors designation at minimum unless they are in the Traditional pathway. Certain elective courses may also carry the Honors designation if the nature of the course indicates that Honors weighting is appropriate.

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Grade Point Average

GPA Scale (Unweighted)

A: 90-100 4.0

B: 80- 89 3.0

C: 70-79 2.0

D: 60-69 1.0

F: 0-59 - No GPA points are earned

Honors classes add 0.5 point

AP, CCC and any other College level courses classes add 1.0 point

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Promotion

  • Freshman to Sophomore - Successfully complete 7 units including each of the four core academic disciplines.

  • Sophomore to Junior - Successfully complete 14 units including two courses in each of the four core academic disciplines.

  • Junior to Senior - Successfully complete 21 units including three courses in each of the four academic disciplines

  • Senior to Graduate – Successfully complete 28 units including four courses in each of the four academic areas plus any additional graduation requirements & competency standards noted above. Seniors will take a full class load during their senior year.

Students must meet the following standards in order to be promoted from one grade to the next during high school:

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Thank you!

If you have any questions about high school or the class selection process, please feel free to contact the school

704-740-4035